John Handley –

Interior of the common area at 444 Social in Lincolnshire, Ill.

In Wheeling, construction of village’s first downtown underway

May 20, 2019 at 8:36 a.m.

This northern suburb has long lured diners to its popular 3-mile-long Restaurant Row along Milwaukee Avenue. But despite its gastronomic prominence, the village of Wheeling has no real downtown, even...

Sculptor Marcia Perry uses wood to make her creations.

Scenery inspires local artists in Saugatuck, the ‘Art Coast of Michigan’

August 23, 2019 at 2:19 p.m.

Give an old log to Marcia Perry, and she will create a work of art. "I'm a sculptor who brings trees back to life," explained Perry, one of many artists...

The enclosed section of the rooftop deck at the Arc at Old Colony.

High-end ‘super dorms’ find home in the Loop

May 20, 2019 at 8:01 a.m.

The Spartan college dorm is out. The luxury student apartment is in. College grads of the past will marvel at the newest student residences that have cropped up in downtown...

Why fall is a smart time to buy a vacation home

August 23, 2019 at 1:09 p.m.

With autumn leaves starting to fall, future vacation plans may be furthest from your mind. Those good times at a summer cottage by the lake, the beach house or cabin...

Cook County is examining the relationship between O'Hare aircraft noise and property values.

Assessor’s office studying effect of airport noise on property values

May 20, 2019 at 7:34 a.m.

Your guests have gathered for a backyard barbecue, and the steaks are sizzling. Suddenly a jet roars overhead, interrupting the conversation. Shortly afterward, another noisy uninvited guest flies over. Not...

Orson Welles delivers a radio broadcast from a New York studio in 1938.

Wisconsin hometown to celebrate Orson Welles’ 100th birthday

August 23, 2019 at 12:07 p.m.

Martians will attack Kenosha, Wis., on May 9 — part of the monthlong celebration marking the 100th birthday of actor and filmmaker Orson Welles, born May 6, 1915. The Martians...

Abraham Lincoln gave his "House Divided" speech at the Old State Capitol. An all-night funeral vigil will be held next to the building.

Lincoln’s hometown gets ready for a most solemn re-enactment

August 23, 2019 at 12:07 p.m.

Abraham Lincoln is coming home — again. For the 150th anniversary of his funeral, the solemn event will be re-enacted in Springfield, where he rose to fame and was elected...

A young Abe, book in hand, sits in front of his boyhood log cabin on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield.

Lincoln’s Springfield still reveals the flesh-and-blood man

May 25, 2019 at 12:45 p.m.

While hogs wallowed in the muddy, unpaved streets, the tall, young man rode a borrowed horse into the town on the edge of the Midwestern prairie. The year was 1837....

Illinois faces Iowa in annual tug-of-war over Mississippi River

May 11, 2019 at 2:43 p.m.

Amazingly, all boat traffic at one point on the mighty Mississippi is stopped for a short time every August for a sporting event: a tug-of-war between Illinois and Iowa. A...

Properties near water offer calming, and costly, views

May 23, 2019 at 9:37 a.m.

In the summer, there's one natural attraction that makes certain Chicago-area properties a coveted part of the real estate scene: water. A home overlooking a lake, river or pond has...

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